As a veteran administrator, Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson has supervised his share of promotions but the one he oversaw Thursday stands out for a special reason.
Richardson, at Thursday’s Chesterton Police Commission meeting, said in promoting Nolan Mancera to corporal, his mind went back 267 days to when he worried about the officer’s life.
Mancera and Lt. David Virijevich responded the morning of June 18 to a call about “an unwanted individual” at the Hilton Garden Inn on Gateway Boulevard. The situation involving Joseph Gerber, 45, a felon with an outstanding warrant, quickly deteriorated.
“This officer and his partner, Lt. Dave Virijevich, were in a fight for their life here in town with a cowardly gunman that decided to run, turn and fire on one of our officers,” Richardson recalled. “Our officers were brave, they were heroic and they had a very intense gun battle with this individual.”
There were more than 50 yellow cones in the middle of Gateway Boulevard, most of them covering bullets fired during the exchange.
Gerber fired first and one of his bullets struck Mancera in the hip area, the investigation later found. Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann ruled the officers were justified in their use of force as Gerber died at the scene when he shot himself in the head.
Mancera was tended to by fellow officers and then Northwest Ambulance personnel who rushed him to a hospital in the Chicago area.
Richardson said there were a few tense hours until it was learned later that day that Mancera would recover.
It was several months before Mancera could return to duty.
“Tonight I am honored to present this officer with a promotion who was shot in the line of duty but yet prevailed, fought through it, is here with us today,” Richardson said.
Richardson noted that it’s his signature on Mancera’s certificate of promotion, but if there was enough room, there would be signatures from every member of the department.
“It is one of the proudest moments in my career to promote him,” Richardson said.
The chief also recognized Mancera’s wife, noting how she spent weeks nursing her husband back to health.
Police Commission President Pete Duda told Mancera how “very proud” he was of him.
“We were excited to see you come on board, we’re excited to see you well and we’re excited for your future,” Duda said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
